When students are freed from gathering water, they return to class. With proper and safe latrines, girls stay in school through their teenage years.

Safe water, clean hands, healthy bodies. Time lost to sickness is reduced and people can get back to the work of lifting themselves out of poverty.

Access to water leads to food security. With less crop loss, hunger is reduced. Schools can feed students with gardens, reducing costs.

Time to think, dream and hope brings the next big idea. The communities we serve are ready to grow. We can't wait to see how they choose to do it.

Some One Drop Math

What did David mean...
How does $1 here = 1 year of clean, safe water?

Water projects come at a cost. We've learned that you almost always get what you pay for. So when lives are on the line, low ball claims and overstated impact hurt.
It's always a good idea to ask tough questions about the full cost involved and its proven impact. So...what exactly did David mean when he mentioned $1 for water?

First things first. No one water project costs the same as another. We work very hard to ensure that every communtiy finds a solution that is appropriate to them and their geography. Some will cost more, some less. Even our $1 example here leans on a little poetic license. Read more to see what we mean and learn more about how we operate.

Here's one example of how $1/month can supply water in Rwanda.

How the math works

$1 per month for 3 Years = $36

Number of people a project serves = 500

Total investment over 3 years = $18,000

With that, we fund...

Community Engagement and Mobilization

Water Project Hardware (a well, small dam, spring catchment, etc.)

Labor and Construction by local teams

Hygiene and Sanitation Education

Latrine Construction Training

Maintinance and Operations Training

Financial Coaching and Planning for Repairs

Detailed Measurement and Outcome Evaluations

A long-term approach...

We commit to each community we serve long enough to ensure they can own, manage and maintain their new water project for the long-term.

When you give, you're joining that community for the duration - not just the day the water flows for the first time. That's why we want you to think of your one-time gift as helping over three years ($1/month * 36).

On average, we find communities are ready within one to three years of follow-up and coaching to manage a water project without much further monetary investment from us. Our partners remain in contact beyond that time however to be sure that's the case.